Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method for defragmenting files on a hard disk drive, the method comprising the steps of: a computer system identifying a plurality of movable blocks on a hard disk drive, wherein a movable block is a block of storage space on the hard disk drive that is allocated for a file and that can be relocated to a different location on the hard disk drive; the computer system maintaining a write count for each movable block, wherein a write count is a cumulative number of write operations performed on a movable block; the computer system categorizing each of the movable blocks into one of a plurality of categories based on the write count of each movable block, wherein the movable blocks categorized into a first category of the plurality of categories have higher write counts than the movable blocks categorized into a second category of the plurality of categories; and the computer system relocating the movable blocks of the first category to a first group of one or more adjacent tracks of the hard disk drive such that at least one of the movable blocks of the first category which is allocated for a first file is contiguous on the hard disk drive with another movable block of the first category which is also allocated for the first file; and the computer system relocating the movable blocks of the second category to a second group of one or more adjacent tracks of the hard disk drive such that at least one of the movable blocks of the second category which is allocated for a second file is contiguous on the hard disk drive with another movable block of the second category which is also allocated for the second file, wherein the first group of one or more adjacent tracks and the second group of one or more adjacent tracks share, at most, one common track.
The invention is a method for defragmenting a hard drive. The system identifies movable data blocks (blocks that can be relocated). It tracks the number of write operations ("write count") for each block. Blocks are categorized based on their write counts, creating at least two categories: one with higher write counts and another with lower write counts. The high-write-count blocks are moved to a group of adjacent tracks, making related file blocks contiguous. The low-write-count blocks are moved to a separate group of adjacent tracks, also making related file blocks contiguous. The two groups of tracks share at most one track.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more adjacent tracks of the first group of one or more adjacent tracks are, at least in part, outer tracks of the hard disk drive relative to the one or more adjacent tracks of the second group of one or more adjacent tracks.
The defragmentation method from the previous description that categorizes blocks by write count and relocates them to adjacent tracks, further specifies that the tracks used for the high-write-count blocks are located on the outer part of the hard drive, while the tracks used for the low-write-count blocks are located on the inner part of the hard drive, relative to the tracks containing the low-write-count blocks.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more adjacent tracks of the first group of one or more adjacent tracks are, at least in part, inner tracks of the hard disk drive relative to the one or more adjacent tracks of the second group of one or more adjacent tracks.
The defragmentation method from the previous description that categorizes blocks by write count and relocates them to adjacent tracks, further specifies that the tracks used for the high-write-count blocks are located on the inner part of the hard drive, while the tracks used for the low-write-count blocks are located on the outer part of the hard drive, relative to the tracks containing the low-write-count blocks.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: prior to the step of the computer system relocating the movable blocks of the first category to a first group of one or more adjacent tracks of the hard disk drive, the computer system identifying a plurality of movable blocks of the first category that are allocated for a particular file; the computer system determining whether the plurality of movable blocks of the first category that are allocated for the particular file have a combined storage capacity that is greater than or equal to a specified value; responsive to the plurality of movable blocks of the first category that are allocated for the particular file not having a combined storage capacity that is greater than or equal to the specified value, the computer system identifying one or more movable blocks that were initially categorized into the second category and that are also allocated for the particular file, and the computer system re-categorizing the one or more movable blocks that were initially categorized into the second category and that are also allocated for the particular file into the first category.
In the defragmentation method that categorizes blocks by write count and relocates them to adjacent tracks, before relocating the high-write-count blocks, the system identifies blocks belonging to a specific file. It checks if these blocks combined meet a minimum size requirement. If they don't, the system finds blocks of that same file that were initially categorized as low-write-count and reclassifies them as high-write-count blocks, so they are all grouped together.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the one or more adjacent tracks of the first group of one or more adjacent tracks are, at least in part, outer tracks of the hard disk drive relative to the one or more adjacent tracks of the second group of one or more adjacent tracks.
The defragmentation method that re-categorizes blocks for defragmentation, further specifies that the tracks used for the high-write-count blocks (including the re-categorized ones) are located on the outer part of the hard drive, while the tracks used for the low-write-count blocks are located on the inner part of the hard drive, relative to the tracks containing the low-write-count blocks.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the one or more adjacent tracks of the first group of one or more adjacent tracks are, at least in part, inner tracks of the hard disk drive relative to the one or more adjacent tracks of the second group of one or more adjacent tracks.
The defragmentation method that re-categorizes blocks for defragmentation, further specifies that the tracks used for the high-write-count blocks (including the re-categorized ones) are located on the inner part of the hard drive, while the tracks used for the low-write-count blocks are located on the outer part of the hard drive, relative to the tracks containing the low-write-count blocks.
7. A computer system for defragmenting files on a hard disk drive, the system comprising: one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the program instructions comprising: program instructions to identify a plurality of movable blocks on a hard disk drive, wherein a movable block is a block of storage space on the hard disk drive that is allocated for a file and that can be relocated to a different location on the hard disk drive; program instructions to maintain a write count for each movable block, wherein a write count is a cumulative number of write operations performed on a movable block; program instructions to categorize each of the movable blocks into one of a plurality of categories based on the write count of each movable block, wherein the movable blocks categorized into a first category of the plurality of categories have higher write counts than the movable blocks categorized into a second category of the plurality of categories; and program instructions to relocate the movable blocks of the first category to a first group of one or more adjacent tracks of the hard disk drive such that at least one of the movable blocks of the first category which is allocated for a first file is contiguous on the hard disk drive with another movable block of the first category which is also allocated for the first file; and program instructions to relocate the movable blocks of the second category to a second group of one or more adjacent tracks of the hard disk drive such that at least one of the movable blocks of the second category which is allocated for a second file is contiguous on the hard disk drive with another movable block of the second category which is also allocated for the second file, wherein the first group of one or more adjacent tracks and the second group of one or more adjacent tracks share, at most, one common track.
The invention is a computer system that defragments a hard drive. It identifies movable data blocks (blocks that can be relocated). It tracks the number of write operations ("write count") for each block. Blocks are categorized based on their write counts, creating at least two categories: one with higher write counts and another with lower write counts. The high-write-count blocks are moved to a group of adjacent tracks, making related file blocks contiguous. The low-write-count blocks are moved to a separate group of adjacent tracks, also making related file blocks contiguous. The two groups of tracks share at most one track.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the one or more adjacent tracks of the first group of one or more adjacent tracks are, at least in part, outer tracks of the hard disk drive relative to the one or more adjacent tracks of the second group of one or more adjacent tracks.
The computer system for defragmentation described in the previous description that categorizes blocks by write count and relocates them to adjacent tracks, further specifies that the tracks used for the high-write-count blocks are located on the outer part of the hard drive, while the tracks used for the low-write-count blocks are located on the inner part of the hard drive, relative to the tracks containing the low-write-count blocks.
9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the one or more adjacent tracks of the first group of one or more adjacent tracks are, at least in part, inner tracks of the hard disk drive relative to the one or more adjacent tracks of the second group of one or more adjacent tracks.
The computer system for defragmentation described in the previous description that categorizes blocks by write count and relocates them to adjacent tracks, further specifies that the tracks used for the high-write-count blocks are located on the inner part of the hard drive, while the tracks used for the low-write-count blocks are located on the outer part of the hard drive, relative to the tracks containing the low-write-count blocks.
10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices further comprise program instructions to: identify a plurality of movable blocks of the first category that are allocated for a particular file; determine whether the plurality of movable blocks of the first category that are allocated for the particular file have a combined storage capacity that is greater than or equal to a specified value; responsive to the plurality of movable blocks of the first category that are allocated for the particular file not having a combined storage capacity that is greater than or equal to the specified value, identify one or more movable blocks that were initially categorized into the second category and that are also allocated for the particular file, and re-categorize the one or more movable blocks that were initially categorized into the second category and that are also allocated for the particular file into the first category.
In the defragmentation system that categorizes blocks by write count and relocates them to adjacent tracks, before relocating the high-write-count blocks, the system identifies blocks belonging to a specific file. It checks if these blocks combined meet a minimum size requirement. If they don't, the system finds blocks of that same file that were initially categorized as low-write-count and reclassifies them as high-write-count blocks, so they are all grouped together.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more adjacent tracks of the first group of one or more adjacent tracks are, at least in part, outer tracks of the hard disk drive relative to the one or more adjacent tracks of the second group of one or more adjacent tracks.
The defragmentation system that re-categorizes blocks for defragmentation, further specifies that the tracks used for the high-write-count blocks (including the re-categorized ones) are located on the outer part of the hard drive, while the tracks used for the low-write-count blocks are located on the inner part of the hard drive, relative to the tracks containing the low-write-count blocks.
12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more adjacent tracks of the first group of one or more adjacent tracks are, at least in part, inner tracks of the hard disk drive relative to the one or more adjacent tracks of the second group of one or more adjacent tracks.
The defragmentation system that re-categorizes blocks for defragmentation, further specifies that the tracks used for the high-write-count blocks (including the re-categorized ones) are located on the inner part of the hard drive, while the tracks used for the low-write-count blocks are located on the outer part of the hard drive, relative to the tracks containing the low-write-count blocks.
13. A computer program product for defragmenting files on a hard disk drive, the computer program product comprising: one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and program instructions, executable by a computer processor, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, the program instructions comprising: program instructions to identify a plurality of movable blocks on a hard disk drive, wherein a movable block is a block of storage space on the hard disk drive that is allocated for a file and that can be relocated to a different location on the hard disk drive; program instructions to maintain a write count for each movable block, wherein a write count is a cumulative number of write operations performed on a movable block; program instructions to categorize each of the movable blocks into one of a plurality of categories based on the write count of each movable block, wherein the movable blocks categorized into a first category of the plurality of categories have higher write counts than the movable blocks categorized into a second category of the plurality of categories; and program instructions to relocate the movable blocks of the first category to a first group of one or more adjacent tracks of the hard disk drive such that at least one of the movable blocks of the first category which is allocated for a first file is contiguous on the hard disk drive with another movable block of the first category which is also allocated for the first file; and program instructions to relocate the movable blocks of the second category to a second group of one or more adjacent tracks of the hard disk drive such that at least one of the movable blocks of the second category which is allocated for a second file is contiguous on the hard disk drive with another movable block of the second category which is also allocated for the second file, wherein the first group of one or more adjacent tracks and the second group of one or more adjacent tracks share, at most, one common track.
The invention is a computer program product that defragments a hard drive. It identifies movable data blocks (blocks that can be relocated). It tracks the number of write operations ("write count") for each block. Blocks are categorized based on their write counts, creating at least two categories: one with higher write counts and another with lower write counts. The high-write-count blocks are moved to a group of adjacent tracks, making related file blocks contiguous. The low-write-count blocks are moved to a separate group of adjacent tracks, also making related file blocks contiguous. The two groups of tracks share at most one track.
14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the one or more adjacent tracks of the first group of one or more adjacent tracks are, at least in part, outer tracks of the hard disk drive relative to the one or more adjacent tracks of the second group of one or more adjacent tracks.
The computer program product for defragmentation described in the previous description that categorizes blocks by write count and relocates them to adjacent tracks, further specifies that the tracks used for the high-write-count blocks are located on the outer part of the hard drive, while the tracks used for the low-write-count blocks are located on the inner part of the hard drive, relative to the tracks containing the low-write-count blocks.
15. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the one or more adjacent tracks of the first group of one or more adjacent tracks are, at least in part, inner tracks of the hard disk drive relative to the one or more adjacent tracks of the second group of one or more adjacent tracks.
The computer program product for defragmentation described in the previous description that categorizes blocks by write count and relocates them to adjacent tracks, further specifies that the tracks used for the high-write-count blocks are located on the inner part of the hard drive, while the tracks used for the low-write-count blocks are located on the outer part of the hard drive, relative to the tracks containing the low-write-count blocks.
16. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the program instructions, executable by a computer processor, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices further comprise program instructions to: identify a plurality of movable blocks of the first category that are allocated for a particular file; determine whether the plurality of movable blocks of the first category that are allocated for the particular file have a combined storage capacity that is greater than or equal to a specified value; responsive to the plurality of movable blocks of the first category that are allocated for the particular file not having a combined storage capacity that is greater than or equal to the specified value, identify one or more movable blocks that were initially categorized into the second category and that are also allocated for the particular file, and re-categorize the one or more movable blocks that were initially categorized into the second category and that are also allocated for the particular file into the first category.
In the defragmentation computer program product that categorizes blocks by write count and relocates them to adjacent tracks, before relocating the high-write-count blocks, the system identifies blocks belonging to a specific file. It checks if these blocks combined meet a minimum size requirement. If they don't, the system finds blocks of that same file that were initially categorized as low-write-count and reclassifies them as high-write-count blocks, so they are all grouped together.
17. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein the one or more adjacent tracks of the first group of one or more adjacent tracks are, at least in part, outer tracks of the hard disk drive relative to the one or more adjacent tracks of the second group of one or more adjacent tracks.
The defragmentation computer program product that re-categorizes blocks for defragmentation, further specifies that the tracks used for the high-write-count blocks (including the re-categorized ones) are located on the outer part of the hard drive, while the tracks used for the low-write-count blocks are located on the inner part of the hard drive, relative to the tracks containing the low-write-count blocks.
18. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein the one or more adjacent tracks of the first group of one or more adjacent tracks are, at least in part, inner tracks of the hard disk drive relative to the one or more adjacent tracks of the second group of one or more adjacent tracks.
The defragmentation computer program product that re-categorizes blocks for defragmentation, further specifies that the tracks used for the high-write-count blocks (including the re-categorized ones) are located on the inner part of the hard drive, while the tracks used for the low-write-count blocks are located on the outer part of the hard drive, relative to the tracks containing the low-write-count blocks.
Unknown
September 2, 2014
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